A Vicksburg man and a Decatur man were seriously injured Monday, July 22, 2013, in a one-vehicle crash in Van Buren County, police said.Courtesy Photo

DECATUR, MI – A Vicksburg man and a Decatur man were seriously injured Monday afternoon in a one-vehicle crash in Van Buren County, authorities said.

Witnesses who came upon the crash just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of 36th Street and 92nd Avenue, east of Decatur, told sheriff’s deputies that the 30-year-old driver involved in the crash asked them to help his friend who was trapped in the car and requested that they not call police because he feared going to jail, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

At the scene, deputies found the driver, a Vicksburg resident, lying on the ground and bleeding from the head. A 24-year-old Decatur man who was a passenger in the 2000 Chevrolet Prizm was pineed inside the car and had to be extricated by firefighters.

Deputies said the driver, whose name has not been released, suffered a large cut to his head, as well as other cuts, bruises and internal injuries. The other man, whose name also has not been released, suffered severe leg and hip injuries, as well as cuts, bruises and internal injuries in the crash, according to the news release.

Deputies said both men were taken to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo and are expected to recover from their injuries.

Deputies said in the news release that alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in the crash. The crash remains under investigation and deputies said the case will be forwarded for review to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office when it is completed.